QTH.COM Swap Chat

I recently answered a QTH.com ad for a Hallicrafters SX-42. The fellow seemed honest and we exchanged several emails talking about our mutual love for old "boatanchors". I sent him a MO for $470 to the name and address he gave me:

Danny Ruhl
2301 Quail Ct.
Clovis, NM 88101

He acknowledged receipt of the MO and said he would ship via UPS the next day. That was over two weeks ago. UPS has no record of shipment. He does not respond to email, nor answer the phone. Not a word has been received from him. I suppose it is possible he was seriously injured in an accident and has been in a hospital all this time. But somehow I have the feeling that I have been had. I have subsequently learned that "Danny Ruhl" is not a ham. I am to blame for being too trusting. But I hope he does not find other victims.

He also has or had an ad for a Hallicrafters SX-100. Do NOT do business with this fellow!!!!! I will post a follow-up if I ever hear from him.

73 - Pat (W7YCN)

If you mailed a MO, it is mail fraud. If you mailed a USPS MO, it is 2 counts in Federal Court. A good prosecutor will probably be able to add a couple of more violations of interstate commerce, too. The feds are even getting pretty hot on internet commerce. That might even be another nice count. Don't hesitate to call the section center postal inspector's office. It's what you pay taxes, postage, and MO fees for so use it.

Sorry to have to report that this fellow truly is a crook and I am out $470. Over a month has passed since he received my MO and not a word out of him. I will be turning over what info I have on him to the USP and to the Clovis, NM police dept. Lesson learned. Don't deal with non-hams, especially those with hotmail accounts.

Local results for Danny Ruhl near Clovis, NM 88101

Clovis Board of Realtors - 1.1 miles E - 1321 Pile St - (505) 762-4608
Kern Land Inc-Dave Kern - 1.1 miles E - 1304 Pile St - (505) 762-3707
505 Realtors - 1.1 miles SE - 107 E 6th St - (505) 762-5611

Clovis is not that large a town; also, the last name Ruhl is unusual for that part of the world.

Good luck...

Thanks for your suggestions, Al. I checked those places out but no one had heard of him.

I should have placed this guy's email address in case he is still using it to defraud others. It is:

[email protected]